Congratulations again to our 2016 FHS Raffle winners, Angela and Larry McClure! The McClures are proud parents of Spencer, a sophomore in the band. They sold 30 tickets to the raffle but purchased only one, the winning ticket!

Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s raffle! While the McClures won a new vehicle, it’s really The Franklin Band that won through the instruments and equipment that can be purchased with the funds that were raised.

We’ve had some exciting things happening lately, including the Wind Ensemble going to college, Concert Performance Assessment Results, and the Music for All National Festival.

Our Wind Ensemble was invited by Dr. Reed Thomas and Mr. Craig Cornish to spend the day on the MTSU campus, and so on March 3, we attended a conducting class, participated in masterclasses led by MTSU wind and percussion faculty, sat in on a rehearsal with the MTSU Wind Ensemble, did a recording session in the T. Earl Hinton Music Hall, and split a concert that evening. It was a great day for us, as the kids got a small sample of what it’s like to be a music major, as well as being around some great professors and university music students.

The Franklin Wind Ensemble

On March 8, the Wind Ensemble returned to MTSU for the Middle Tennessee Band and Orchestra Association Concert Performance Assessment, where we performed Florentiner-Grande marcia Italiana by Julius Fučik and Limerick Daydreams by Nathan Daughtrey, music in the Grade 6 category. We received the highest rating possible, with all judges rating us as “Superior” in every sub caption, both in our stage performance and in sight reading. Great job!

Judges sheets from our performance.

The National Festival is arguably the most important event that Music for All sponsors, and our recent history is richly intertwined there. We’ve had students in either Honor Band of America or Honor Orchestra every year since 2009, both our Wind Ensemble and our Percussion Ensemble were invited to perform in 2013, and a chamber group in the proportions of the classic harmonie was invited to perform at the Inaugural National Chamber Music Festival in 2015. This year we had two students in the Honor Band of America, Christine Barham (flute) and Ryan Fisher (clarinet). Playing in that ensemble helps student growth in multiple ways, especially hearing other All Americans from across the country and being led by world class conductors, like Richard Floyd, past Director of Bands at Baylor University. Congrats Christine and Ryan!

Top right: Christine, David Aydelott (Franklin Band Director), Ryan

“…but now I see”

What an exciting end to last semester!

The marching band finished the season strong with our highest Bands of America Grand Nationals placement ever, coming in just one band out of finals at 13th. Our previous highest placement was 2013 when we finished 15th, so we’re edging closer to reaching our BHAG of becoming a Grand Nationals finalist by the year 2021. Let’s keep on aggregating those marginal gains each and every day! Here are the highlights of the band’s competition results:

The Affinity Partnership Program is the corporate sponsorship program for The Franklin Band. Franklin band families have the opportunity to cast a wide net throughout the community and within their sphere of influence to secure Affinity Partners with The Franklin Band. See the overview and 2015 Affinity Partner Solicitation Flyer attached to the email for your reference and use. You may print multiple copies of the flyer by printing page 4 of the attachment.

Note the following deadlines in the instructions:

July 31: Benefit of being listed in the full-page spread of the football program ($500 and $1000 levels)

August 17: Benefit of being listed on the back of the show shirt ($250 and up)